يا غابِراً وَجَدَ النَدى

يا غابِراً وَجَدَ النَدى

قَيداً فَما أَرجو قُفولَه

قَيداً فَما أَرجو قُفولَه

O lingerer, who found generosity

O one who found the dew burdening,

a fetter—I have no hope of his return.

And no longer hope for his return,

إِن كُنتَ مِنّي في بُلو

إِن كُنتَ مِنّي في بُلو

غِكَ ما أَرَدتَ أَدَقَّ حيلَه

غِكَ ما أَرَدتَ أَدَقَّ حيلَه

If you were subtler than I in attaining

If you are vexed with me,

what you desired through guile,

Your cleverest schemes cannot avail.

لا كانَ رَأيُكَ ذا الصَحي

لا كانَ رَأيُكَ ذا الصَحي

حُ وَلا مَوَدَّتُكَ العَليلَه

حُ وَلا مَوَدَّتُكَ العَليلَه

may this sound judgment of yours perish,

Neither was your view ever right,

and your ailing affection too.

Nor was your affection ever true.

فَمَتى أَرَدتَ بِصاحِبٍ

فَمَتى أَرَدتَ بِصاحِبٍ

ضِدَّ النَجاحِ فَكُن رَسولَه

ضِدَّ النَجاحِ فَكُن رَسولَه

So whenever you wish a companion

So when you wanted an ally

the opposite of success, be his messenger.

Against success, then be his messenger.

وَمَتى بَغَيتَ ضَلالَهُ

وَمَتى بَغَيتَ ضَلالَهُ

يَوماً فَكُن أَيضاً دَليلَه

يَوماً فَكُن أَيضاً دَليلَه

And whenever you seek his going astray,

And when you sought to lead him astray

one day, be his guide as well.

One day, then be also his guide.

لَصَدَدتَ عَمّا رُمتُهُ

لَصَدَدتَ عَمّا رُمتُهُ

صَدَّ الذَليلِ عَنِ الحَليلَه

صَدَّ الذَليلِ عَنِ الحَليلَه

You surely turned away from what I sought,

You would have desisted from your aim

as an abject man turns away from his wife.

As the abject desists from the sublime.

وَتَطَلُّبي مِنكَ المَنا

وَتَطَلُّبي مِنكَ المَنا

بَ مِنَ الأُمورِ المُستَحيلَه

بَ مِنَ الأُمورِ المُستَحيلَه

And asking you to act on my behalf

Yet you ask of me the impossible

is one of the impossible things.

From among matters most difficult.

وَأَظُنُّهُ مُستَنبِطاً

وَأَظُنُّهُ مُستَنبِطاً

مَن قَولِ دِمنَةَ أَو كَليلَه

مَن قَولِ دِمنَةَ أَو كَليلَه

And I think it derived

And I reckon he was searching

from a saying of Dimna or Kalila.

The words of Dimna or Kalila.

هِيَ قِصَّةٌ أَعرَبتَ في

هِيَ قِصَّةٌ أَعرَبتَ في

ها عَن سَجِيَّتِكَ البَخيلَه

ها عَن سَجِيَّتِكَ البَخيلَه

It is a tale in which you revealed

It is a tale you expressed in it

your miserly nature.

Your miserly nature so mean.

وَلَقَد نَزَلتَ بِحَضرَةٍ

وَلَقَد نَزَلتَ بِحَضرَةٍ

مِن كُلِّ نائِبَةٍ مُزيلَه

مِن كُلِّ نائِبَةٍ مُزيلَه

You have indeed alighted at a court

You have indeed descended to the abode

that delivers one from every calamity.

Of every impending doom.

يَشتاقُني إِنعامُها

يَشتاقُني إِنعامُها

وَالمَطلُ يَمنَعُني سَبيلَه

وَالمَطلُ يَمنَعُني سَبيلَه

Its bounty longs for me,

I yearn her favors, but procrastination

but delay bars my path to it.

Deprives me of the way to it.

إِن أَغضَبَت ذا الدينِ ما

إِن أَغضَبَت ذا الدينِ ما

طِلَةً فَقَد أَرضَت وَكيلَه

طِلَةً فَقَد أَرضَت وَكيلَه

If it has angered the creditor

If the procrastinator angers

by stalling, it has indeed pleased his agent.

The time, she pleases her successor.

فَكَتَبتَ تَذكُرُ ما أَنا

فَكَتَبتَ تَذكُرُ ما أَنا

لَت مِن مَواهِبِها الجَزيلَه

لَت مِن مَواهِبِها الجَزيلَه

So you wrote, recounting what it bestowed

So you wrote mentioning what

of its lavish gifts.

I forgot of her copious boons.

فَأَتى كِتابُكَ شاهِداً

فَأَتى كِتابُكَ شاهِداً

لَكَ في الكِتابَةِ وَالفَضيلَه

لَكَ في الكِتابَةِ وَالفَضيلَه

Your letter would thus have borne witness

Thus did your letter bear witness to you

to your writing and virtue,

In writing and virtue.

لَولا عِبارَتُكَ القَبي

لَولا عِبارَتُكَ القَبي

حَةُ عَن زِيارَتِكَ الجَميلَه

حَةُ عَن زِيارَتِكَ الجَميلَه

were it not for your ugly account

Were it not for your concise

of your beautiful visit.

Expression of your beautiful visit.

يَمَّمتُها في حالَةٍ

يَمَّمتُها في حالَةٍ

يَنسى الخَليلُ بِها خَليلَه

يَنسى الخَليلُ بِها خَليلَه

I headed for it in a state

I would have undertaken it in a state

in which a friend forgets his friend.

That makes the intimate forget his beloved.

وَهَرَبتُ مِن شَظَفِ المَعا

وَهَرَبتُ مِن شَظَفِ المَعا

شِ إِلى التَنَعُّمِ وَالرَبيلَه

شِ إِلى التَنَعُّمِ وَالرَبيلَه

And I fled the hardships of livelihood

And I fled from the harshness of destitution

for luxury and ample living.

To comfort and ease.

مَن حَلَّ في ذاكَ الجَنا

مَن حَلَّ في ذاكَ الجَنا

بِ سَلا عَنِ الدِمَنِ المُحيلَه

بِ سَلا عَنِ الدِمَنِ المُحيلَه

Whoever settles in that precinct

Whoever lodged in that side,

forgets the desolate old dwelling-sites.

Ask not about the base life.

وَكَفاكَ فَخراً مَوقِفٌ

وَكَفاكَ فَخراً مَوقِفٌ

تَأبى نَباهَتُهُ خُمولَه

تَأبى نَباهَتُهُ خُمولَه

And enough for your pride is a station

And enough pride is a stand

whose eminence refuses obscurity,

Whose splendor refuses decline.

وَمَديحُ مَن عَشِقَ الثَنا

وَمَديحُ مَن عَشِقَ الثَنا

ءَ فَأَدرَكَ الراجيهِ سولَه

ءَ فَأَدرَكَ الراجيهِ سولَه

and praise of one enamored of acclaim,

And praising one who loved praise

so that whoever looked to him attained his wish,

Until he attained his hopes.

بِغَرائِبِ الشِعرِ الَذي

بِغَرائِبِ الشِعرِ الَذي

حَظُّ المَسامِعِ أَن تَطولَه

حَظُّ المَسامِعِ أَن تَطولَه

through wondrous poetry that

With the wonders of poetry which

the ears are fortunate to attain:

The ears are fortunate to hear.

فِقَرٌ يَحُلُّ أَبو عُبا

فِقَرٌ يَحُلُّ أَبو عُبا

دَةَ دونَها وَتَفوقُ قيلَه

دَةَ دونَها وَتَفوقُ قيلَه

passages beneath which Abu ʿUbada stands,

Poverty befell Abu Ubadah

and which surpass his words.

Beyond which are its stories and tales.

أَصبَحتُ أُنبَذُ بِالعَرا

أَصبَحتُ أُنبَذُ بِالعَرا

ءِ وَأَنتَ تَرتَعُ في الخَميلَه

ءِ وَأَنتَ تَرتَعُ في الخَميلَه

I have come to be cast out in the open,

I became discarded in the bare wilderness

while you graze in the leafy grove.

While you enjoy the thickets.

إِن جادَكَ الغَيثُ الهَطو

إِن جادَكَ الغَيثُ الهَطو

لُ فَإِنَّني راجٍ سُيولَه

لُ فَإِنَّني راجٍ سُيولَه

If the pouring rain has been generous to you,

If the pouring rain enriches you

then I hope for its torrents.

Then I hope for its floods.

يَفدي أَبا الحَسَنِ الكِرا

يَفدي أَبا الحَسَنِ الكِرا

مُ فَلَم أَجِد فيهِم عَديلَه

مُ فَلَم أَجِد فيهِم عَديلَه

May the generous serve as ransom for Abu al-Hasan,

May the generous Abu Al-Hasan ransom me

for I have found no equal to him among them.

For I did not find among them a peer.

أَنداهُمُ في عامِ مَس

أَنداهُمُ في عامِ مَس

غَبَةٍ وَأَكرَمُهُم قَبيلَه

غَبَةٍ وَأَكرَمُهُم قَبيلَه

The most bountiful of them in a year

I call them in a year of estrangement

of famine, and the noblest of them in lineage.

And the best of tribes host them.

مِنَنٌ تَخِفُّ إِلى المَحا

مِنَنٌ تَخِفُّ إِلى المَحا

مِدِ وَهيَ إِن حُمِلَت ثَقيلَه

مِدِ وَهيَ إِن حُمِلَت ثَقيلَه

Favors that hasten lightly toward praise,

Favors that become burdensome to the recipient

yet are heavy when borne;

And yet if carried are precious.

وَسَحابَةٌ لِلطالِبي

وَسَحابَةٌ لِلطالِبي

نَ سِوايَ صادِقَةُ المَخيلَه

نَ سِوايَ صادِقَةُ المَخيلَه

and a cloud for petitioners

A cloud for seekers of gifts

other than me, true in its promise of rain.

Except me, truthfully promising.

وَلَوَ اِنَّها بِالعَدلِ تَق

وَلَوَ اِنَّها بِالعَدلِ تَق

ضي كُنتُ أَقواهُم وَسيلَه

ضي كُنتُ أَقواهُم وَسيلَه

And if it judged with justice,

And if it dispensed in justice

I would have the strongest claim among them.

I would be the strongest asking it.